The present invention relates to an improved brick panel wall construction and more particularly to a panel clip for use in fastening a brick panel to supporting structure.
It has become commonplace to use pre-fabricated brick panels instead of conventional bricks in original construction and in remodeling applications. Pre-fabricated brick panels generally consist of one-half inch thick kiln-fired bricks secured in conventional patterns to a backing board by means of an adhesive. The backing board is typically formed of an asphalt-impregnated wood fiber material sixteen inches high by forty-eight inches long, so as to receive six rows of two and one-quarter inch high by seven and five-eighths inch long bricks. The brick panels are applied to the supporting structure by hand-driven or power-driven nails through the open spaces between the bricks. Mortar is then applied to these three- eighth inch or half-inch wide spaces to conceal the joints between adjacent panels, to conceal the nails, and also to render the completed installation indistinguishable from conventional brick constructions. Examples of brick panels are found in Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,326 and in the prior art referred to therein.
To improve upon the brick panel disclosed in Applicant's '326 patent, Applicant invented a brick panel wall construction that utilizes polystyrene foam backing boards and a plurality of load bearing clip members that support the bricks attached to the backing board. This invention is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,407,104. The polystryene foam backing board of the '104 patent has several advantages including improved moisture resistance to avoid rotting or delamination and improved insulation to conserve energy.
An important feature of the '104 patent is the individual load bearing clips which provide direct mechanical connection between the bricks and the supporting wall structure. Each load bearing clip includes an outwardly projecting leg having a protruding lip which extends into the joint area between the bricks of adjacent panels. When mortar is packed or tuck pointed into the joint area to cover the protruding lips of the load bearing clips, the clips become a direct mechanical connection to the support structure for the bricks that are secured to the polystryene foam backing boards. In fact, the backing boards of Applicant's '104 invention may be stripped away and the brick walls will remain intact, being supported solely by the load bearing clips.
Although the brick panel wall construction described in Applicant's '104 patent has been extremely successful, Applicant has found the need to make improvements.
One such improvement is the need for further support, especially at the mid-portion of the panel, when the brick panels are being mounted to the support structure. Typically, each of the panels of the brick wall panel construction is sixteen inches high between top and bottom. As described in the '104 patent, the load bearing clips hold the top and bottom of the panels with mortar being applied to the joints to fix the brick to the clip and support structure. However, if mortar is not applied immediately after the panels are attached to the support structure, the loading of the bricks on the backing board can cause the panel to drift in a vertical plane which is undesirable. This vertical drift causes the panel to bow outwardly between the load bearing clips.
To overcome bowing, Applicant applies adhesive between the polystryene backing board and the supporting structure. Although this solves the problem, it cannot be used if a vapor permeable moisture barrier underlay is used because the underlay is typically made of, for example, 15# felt to which the adhesive would not gain support. Vapor permeable underlays are commonly used because damage to the backing board during installation can allow moisture to develop between the backing board and the support structure. Therefore, applicant needed a means to attach the panel, preferably at the midpoint, to the support structure and still permit an underlay to be used.
Another area for improvement is in the mounting of brick panel sections to supporting structure at locations where the load bearing clips cannot be used. One such location is at sill sections. Due to sills typically having metal trim or wooden overhangs, the load bearing clip cannot be used at the top of the panel. Typically, at these locations the panel is nailed to the support structure with galvanized scaffold nails. Although this is satisfactory, Applicant wanted a better means of attaching the panel to the support structure at sill projections and roof soffits and where a typical load bearing clip cannot be used.